December 19, 2016

Text Frame Publishers

COLOGNE – How will we produce our food in the future? What will we eat if we can’t use animal products, let alone an oven, microwave or any other heat sources to prepare it? These are the type of questions critical food designer Chloé Rutzerveld likes to answer through her work, which ranges from speculative design probes to workshops and experimental dinners.

Using food as her prime medium, but also incorporating aspects of design, science and technology, she sets out to make food-related issues tangible for a wide variety of people. And during IMM Living Kitchen in Cologne early next year, she will continue to do so.

Hosting an interactive DIY cooking show as part of Frame’s KitchenLab exhibition, Rutzerveld will demonstrate quick and easy ways to create plant-based products at home, using the most basic kitchen equipment. By doing so, she aims to familiarize consumers with sustainable, healthy and – most importantly – tasty alternatives for dairy, meat and fish. ‘Even though vegetable-based foods are gaining popularity, the products on offer are limited and the costs are still high,’ Rutzerveld points out. ‘Additionally, most consumers don’t have the necessary knowledge and skills to take matters into their own hands.’

Surrounding themes such as food waste and the smart usage of natural properties, the workshops connect with some of the designer’s earlier projects, such as Edible Growth – a concept for the creation of a fully edible 3D-printed ecosystem – and The Other Dinner, a public event about the past, present and future of meat. The ultimate goal? To enthuse and inspire visitors to become more adventurous cooks while simultaneously addressing the challenges that will come with future food production and consumption.